Tooltips
Additional information presented when players have focused on a game element.
Providing players with the right amount of information can be problematic in games, since giving either too much or too little can work against an optimal gameplay experience. Computer-based games have an opportunity regarding this that other game forms do not have; they can
This pattern is a still a stub.
Note: this pattern exist in many design pattern collections for interaction design. However, being related quite specifically to information it can affect gameplay more directly than other interaction design patterns.
Contents
Examples
Using the pattern
Tool Tips are a way of providing information to players in Computer Games by adding text overlays on things the focus upon. Besides deciding what game elements should have Tool Tips and what information should be provided, the main design choice in implementing the pattern is how long time one has to focus before the Tool Tips are shown. What players are focused upon is usually a simple case of checking what their God Fingers or Crosshairs are pointing at.
Interface Aspects
Tool Tips is both a Information and Interface Pattern. However, the appropriate time before showing Tool Tips can vary depending on the type of gameplay and a distinction can be made between presenting only Tool Tips for game elements or for interface components such as menus and buttons.
Consequences
Tool Tips provide Clues to players. They modify how Crosshairs or God Fingers work by making them tools for getting more explicit information from games, even if this comes at the cost of introducing ephemeral Non-Diegetic Features and thereby potentially breaking Diegetic Consistency. By doing so they can let players have Smooth Learning Curves, as well as letting game designers have concrete ways to share their Strategic Knowledge to them. This Strategic Knowledge can in turn encourage players to engage in Strategic Planning.
Relations
Can Instantiate
Clues, Non-Diegetic Features, Smooth Learning Curves
with Strategic Knowledge
Can Modulate
Crosshairs, God Fingers, Strategic Knowledge
Can Be Instantiated By
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Can Be Modulated By
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Possible Closure Effects
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Potentially Conflicting With
History
New pattern created in this wiki.
References
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Acknowledgements
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